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Windows 10 vs Windows Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
269
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
184
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Windows 10 is 3.8%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.4%, up from 9.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Darko Borovic - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use and has good features like control panel, system settings, and backup
Windows 10 is mostly used in our production system. We are a TV station with some software depending on an operating system. This software won't be able to start or manage in other operating systems. We were forced to use Windows 10. Since we updated that software, we switched to Windows 11…
NirajSingh - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly platform streamlining client connectivity
We are using Windows Server to connect our client software. We use it to access client systems and work on SQL databases Rather than purchasing and setting up infrastructure, we are using Windows Server, which obviously saves some costs. Windows Server is fulfilling our daily work-life purposes.…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"We like the productivity."
"I am impressed with the tool's Microsoft Office products and its functionality."
"The performance works very well and the solution is flexible and stable."
"I recommend Windows 10 for beginners."
"Windows 10 is easy to use with a good user interface."
"It's easy to use and the performance is good."
"The most valuable feature is the interface."
"The solution is stable."
"The most valuable features I have found to be the flexibility and wide range of support training available."
"The most valuable features of this solution are its performance, security, and that it is easy to use."
"Most applications are compatible with this operating system."
"The product's initial setup phase is pretty straightforward and simple without any challenges."
"The feature that I have found most valuable is the Active Directory. I have had good experience with Windows Server."
"The features that I like the most are that it's easy to use and the integration."
"Windows Server is easy to use."
"It is very easy to use for the end-user."
 

Cons

"It could be more stable."
"After some time it becomes slower. The performance seems to be affected after a while."
"The licensing could always be less expensive."
"One of my colleagues said Microsoft doesn't have a good record for the license. If the license gets lost, there isn't a dashboard where I can register my license and use it via the dashboard. We are looking for a dashboard like that."
"They try to make it user-friendly for non-technical users. But, when you have a little bit of technical experience, you find it difficult to go around UI wrapper."
"The security needs to improve."
"The update cycle could use some improvement."
"The security should be better on the solution."
"We had some complaints about the initial setup."
"From a security perspective, sometimes, malware attacks and hackers take advantage of the tool's vulnerabilities. There is a need to have updates in the product to fill in the vulnerability gaps."
"Sometimes the performance goes down, which might be due to the stability zone or network issues."
"Resolving problems in the Windows environment should be improved."
"Compared to Linux, the solution is a bit difficult to deploy."
"The cost to use the solution is quite high."
"In terms of support, it's pretty complicated when you have to study the documentation."
"I would like to see easier implementation and better customer service in the future."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license is built into whatever you have purchased. For example, we purchased our Lenovo laptop and the license for Windows 10 was built in."
"There is a license to use the solution."
"I have a corporate license."
"There is a license for this solution and it normally comes free with any system."
"The solution is affordable and there is a license to use it."
"The product is moderately priced."
"The pricing could be improved."
"We pay annually for the licenses of Windows 10."
"My company has an enterprise agreement with Microsoft. I feel that the price of the product is okay."
"There are additional fees to pay for support."
"If you choose Windows Server on-premises, you will receive a perpetual license and there is also a subscription license option. For the cloud version, there are several options available, such as a monthly subscription."
"The solution requires licencing."
"Windows Server's whole licensing model is complex because if you have, for example, Microsoft Office and end-user applications installed on a server with a remote desktop, then the licensing can be complex. If the model could be simplified it would be better."
"I rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten."
"There is a license required to use Windows Server."
"To use Windows Server, we pay for licensing yearly. The licensing cost should be cheaper—it is expensive and should not cost that much."
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Answers from the Community

NC
Nov 21, 2021
Nov 21, 2021
Windows Server integrates well with all Microsoft and many other mainstream solutions. Building a Failover Cluster is comparatively much easier in Windows Server than with other solutions. We really like the ease of use, stability, and performance of this solution. You get a good active directory that offers consistently evolving features that scales easily. Windows Server supports more memory ...
See 2 answers
Shibu Babuchandran - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 22, 2021
Hi @Netanya Carmi ​, Key Differences Between a Windows Server and a Windows Desktop Here are the key differences between a Windows server and a Windows desktop. 1. Windows Server Supports More Memory One of the main differences between a Windows server and desktop is the amount of memory each can support. A desktop running Windows 10 Enterprise has a 4 GB memory limit on an X86 and a 2TB limit on an X64. These numbers are greatly increased depending on the Windows server version. You can view the memory limitations for the Windows and Windows server releases on the Microsoft Developer site. 2. Windows Server Uses CPUs More Efficiently In general, a server OS is more efficient at using its hardware than a desktop OS, especially a CPU; therefore, if you install Alike on a server OS, you are taking full advantage of the hardware installed on your server, which also allows Alike to offer optimal performance. 3. More Network Connections Allowed on a Windows Server With a desktop version of Windows, network connections are limited to 10-20. A Windows server is not locked down to just 20 network connections; therefore, a Windows server can support well beyond 20 network connections based on your hardware’s capability. 4. The Server OS is Configured for Background Tasks By default, server editions of the Windows OS are configured to give priority to background tasks and services, whereas the desktop editions focus on foreground. While priority can be changed, the desktop edition’s management does not yield the same performance results.
Nov 21, 2021
Windows Server integrates well with all Microsoft and many other mainstream solutions. Building a Failover Cluster is comparatively much easier in Windows Server than with other solutions. We really like the ease of use, stability, and performance of this solution. You get a good active directory that offers consistently evolving features that scales easily. Windows Server supports more memory and uses CPUs more efficiently. Windows Server requires a lot of monthly maintenance with vulnerability management. From a security aspect, this should be improved. We would like to see a command-line version of Windows Server. Overall this solution can be very expensive. One popular feature of Windows 10 is its connectivity with mobile devices and ability to make cabless connections with external devices. Windows 10 has improved functionality and better integration between the networks and Windows 10 core system. The new subsystem for Linux is great. Windows 10 also offers a very good gaming option. which many of our team members thoroughly enjoy. It is a very stable solution with flexible scalability. Windows 10 gets a lot of updates and the automatic updates have caused some problems with our team, resulting in losing files or work. There are instances where updates have caused system crashes and failures. The process needs to be tweaked a bit. The enterprise version has many options, like games that are really intended for home use. The install process can be a bit complex and takes a lot of time to deploy. Windows 10 is a very expensive solution. Conclusion: These are both great solutions by an industry leader. Windows Server is a very robust and powerful on-premises hardware. We were looking to really step up our connections and Windows 10 can only handle about 10 or 20 connections, whereas Windows Server can handle an excess of 50,000 connections. We also needed more memory and more power. Windows10 Pro offers 2TB of RAM, while Windows Server can go to 24TB. Windows Server hardware can also handle more cores and processors; it has 64 sockets to Windows 10’s 2 sockets. Windows Server is the best solution for our organizational needs.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Windows 10?
Windows versions before 2016 had a lot of stability problems. When cybersecurity teams tested these devices or operating systems, we found many vulnerabilities to exploit. That's why if I could mak...
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
We use the solution as an operating system.
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
Sometimes the performance goes down, which might be due to the stability zone or network issues. It can also depend on our network.
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
We are using Windows Server to connect our client software. We use it to access client systems and work on SQL databases.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about Windows 10 vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
823,795 professionals have used our research since 2012.